Hello from YarnSisters, and thanks for reviewing Zealana! We've loved this yarn for three years but just became their distributor in April 2008. They make many beautiful yarns, but the possum is their specialty, having pioneered the idea 17 years ago when a woman in the company won the National Wool Contest with her hand-spun possum yarn. I was actually writing to say it does felt, but not easily. I had to wash my tea cozy in very hot water to get it to shrink, but it's beautiful!

I've got some house socks I made from a possum/merino blend. They're wonderful and soft and cozy and I'd happily knit with the blend again.

Possums are a protected species in Australia (their native country), but I'd be happy to do away with the ones that live in my roof and eat my vegetable garden. They've adapted extremely well to urban life and really are a pest.

I'm another person who doesn't have a problem with harvesting fiber from an invasive animal that needs to be removed from an environment. As long as the animals are slaughtered humanely, I think it's just fine. Actually, I think it's wrong to waste any part of an animal we slaughter--using the fur is ethically required as far as I'm concerned.

Great review and additional info in posts from others. I bought a couple of skeins of this yarn on a trip to NZ in 2006 and it's been marinating ever since. Now I'm anxious to find something interesting to do with it and remember the joy of feeling its softness in my hands.

Hope to go back to NZ some day - a lovely and varied country with delightful people to visit.

Thanks very much for the review, Clara, I'm definitely tempted to try this. I was in New Zealand in 2004, and looked all over for local yarn with very little success (I was on a cycle trip in the South Island, so was mostly looking in small towns). However, I splurged and bought myself a great black sweater made of a blend of merino and possum, which I love!! The only "downside" is that I can't wear it as often as I'd like - it's too warm!! Here in NY, I wear it with the lightest silk Tshirt underneath, and save it for very cold days.. (Today is 27F, with the windchill making it feel about 15F, so it works great!)

Possum yarn is WONDERFUL, I love Cherry Tree Hill's, it's spun w/ the down only and the yarn has a fine halo....yarn is like regular sock yarn, but it's amazingly warm. I've recently bought some Possum Supreme....it's 40/50/10 possum, merino, silk. Also soft, it really blossums and doesn't have the elasicity that CTH's does. They have informed me they can't get it any more due to the exotic import laws, so it's discontinued. :O(

Looks like they didn't waste any hair, it also has corser hair w/ white tips (the undyed color, I bought the green, red, navy, natural, and rose)I love this stuff too.

i have to say i have never considered this yarn to be eco. the fiber's being available is the unfortunate by-product of a necessary cull to save tress, invertebrates, birds and to eradicate bovine tb. until they can up with a way to blend the fiber it was pretty much wasted. My ethical dilemma with the death of possums stopped when i found out they are "cease pools of bovine tb"

The Zealana yarn i say is my fav is heron, worsted weight in bottle green and raisin. The single ply is thick and thin and has been said give a nice rustic look. The colours are exceptional with a dark soft halo that comes up in the colorways I've used. Hats and neck warmers in heron where my gifts to friends last Christmas. Happy to say they where well received. Had my hands on one of the hats the other day and it just gets softer and softer and another property of possum to resist piling is true. The hat looked as good as new.

Kauri is the latest of the possum yarns i have used. It is plied blend of 60% NZ Merino, 30% Possum and 10% Silk. The silk being added for strength. The dark halo is a great charm of this plump and soft wortsed weight yarn. This yarn is apparently machine washable.

Info about that possum - common brushtail possum come in four colour variations silver grey, black, brown and gold. There is a great video on Zealana's website that shows great big bales of the fur.